Golf tee



Oct. 9, 1934. R `M WHlTE-LAW 1,976,316

GOLF TEE Filed June 21, 193s w- MATT LPatented Oct. 9, 1934 NETE STATES1,976,316V GOLF 'mit Roy Melsyd Whitelaw, Brighton Beach, Victoria,Australia Application June 21, 1933, seriaiNo. 676,856 ,Y

In Australia December 17, 1932 6 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved golf tee which is adapted toassist expert players and to improve the game of learners and othershaving less skill.

One object of this invention is to provide a tee whereby a golf ball isresilicntly supported and which will offer no resistance to the followthrough of the club head, even when the ball is struck low.

A further object of this invention is to provide a tee which when struckwill not be displaced thus diminishing the distraction caused by thefear of the club head meeting a solid resistance or of losing a tee,causing players to strike the ball with more coniidence and greateraccuracy than with known tees, and tending to improve their game.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tee part oi which isvisible at the rear of the ball thus providing an indication of thecorrect striking point,

The characteristic feature oi this invention is an inclined member orramp of resilient material, which, when struck by a club head, isadapted to be depressed so that the ball is struck cleanly and withoutresistance. The ramp upper end carries a ball support and its lower endenters or is located close to the ground surface, the inclination andlength of the ramp being such that the part adjacent to the said surfacewill be visible to the player.

But in order that this invention may be more clearly understood,practical embodiments thereof will now be described with reference tothe acn companying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view oi one form of tee.

Fig. 2 is a side sectional view of the tee in Fig. 1, in position in theground and supporting a golf ball.

40- Fig. 3 is a plan of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a similar view to Fig. 2 but showing also part of a club headwhich is travelling in a plane lower than desirable for making a goodshot.

' Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modied form of tee.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a tee similar to that in Fig. 5 but withthe head and stern made separately and connected to each other.

Fig. '7 is a perspective View of a further modined form of tee.

A golf tee according to this invention includes an inclined member orramp 8 of suitable resilient material such as Celluloid or thin springsteel.

- Ramp 8 may be plane as in Figs. 1, 2, 5, and 7 or it may be curvedlongitudinally as in Fig. 6. Adjacent to the upper end of ramp 8 is ahorizontally extending ball Vseat 9 of suitable size and shape, such asa ring of arcuate cross section.

The length of ramp 8 is such that its lower part 8fL is visible fromabove when the tee is in use and when a ball l0 is supported on seating9. Preferably the tee is formed of brightly coloured material or has abrightly coloured coating so that the part 8a is readily visible toprovide the player with a point on which to concentrate so that the ballwill be accurately struck.

Ramp 8 is adapted to be supported so that its lower end is close to theground surface, and in one case it is contiguous to an oblique spike 11which is of such shape that it has suiiicent stability to enable it tobe forced into the ground and when in'position, to resist displacementif the ramp is struck by a clubhead. The spike ll may be angular incross section, with a central ridge l2 which extends from the ramp lowerend. The upper end l2@L of ridge 12 is adjacent to part 8a and providesa convenient means for gauging the correct depth of entry into theground for normal use but the spike may be so located that the ball willbe higher or lower as desired by the user. In a modied form the spikemay be at and be reinforced by a rib as 12b.

In another form the lower end of the ramp 8 extends from a member 13which is at the upper end of a spike 11a. Member 13 may be integral withspike 1la as shown in Fig. 5 or it may be separate therefrom and be xedto a lug 11b at the upper part of the said spike by a rivet 14.

In a further modied form there may be a ramp 8 extending from oppositesides of seating 9 and each said ramp may have at its lower end a spikellc.

In use, the spike is forced into the soil until the seating 9 is asuitable distance above the ground surface, with the ramp 8 extending inthe same direction as that in which the club head will travel. When thespike is inclined, the shoulder l2a indicates the normal correct depthof entry into the ground but when the spike is Vertical it will beadapted to enter the soil until the lower end of the ramp 8 contactswith the soil surface. A ball as l0 will be resilicntly supported by theseating and the ramp 8 oiers no resistance to the follow through of aclub head as C after the ball is struck truly. If the club head is solow that the ramp is struck before the ball (see Fig. 4), the ramp willbe forced downwardly causing the seating 9 to move downwardly also,allowing the ball to fall so that the and provided with a longitudinalridge onVV its' transverse surface to form a rigid spike andhaving tsintermediate portion substantially flat and flexible and disposedobliquely in4 a'. downward direction from said ball seat to form.

a ramp thereto.

2. A golf tee made of a blank of thin resilient' material having one ofits ends',v formed; into a1Y cup-shaped ball seat and its otherenditaper'ed to a point and formed with an angular` section vwhereby toconstitute a rigid spike and having' its intermediate portionsubstantially flat and flexible and disposed obliquely in a downwarddirection from said ball seat to form a ramp thereto.

3. A golf tee according to the preceding claim, composed of aCelluloid-like, non-metallic material.

4. A- golf tee according to claim 2, in which the boundary between thespike and the ilexible portionis dened by shoulders whereby to designatehow much of the tee is to be embedded in the' ground.

' 5l A golf tee according to claim 2, in which the spike and the exibleportion are in alignment.

61 A' golf tee according to claim 2, in which the' blank is turned backon itself at the lower endothe flexiblelportion and the spike extendsdownwardly from the turned-back portion.

ROY MELSYD WHITELAW.

